Susan Fang, Private Policy Win Lane Crawford Creative Callout 2020

LONDON — Luxury department store Lane Crawford has picked Susan Fang and Private Policy by Haoran Li and Siying Qu as the winners of the ninth edition of the Creative Callout series, which was launched in 2015 with a commitment to identify and nurture the best design and creative talents across the globe.

The winners will receive a tailored mentorship based on individual brand or designer’s needs with industry experts and internal teams. The retailer will also commit the investment of three consecutive seasons in collections from the winners, as well as omnichannel marketing and communications support.

The two winners were selected by public voting and a judging panel, including fashion designer Alexander Wang; Andrew Keith, president of Lane Crawford; Tasha Liu, founder of Shanghai’s fashion incubation community Labelhood, and Qu Fang from social commerce platform Xiaohongshu, from a lineup of 12 finalists, who were first narrowed down from 400 applications.

Wang said the contestants this season were a great mix of talents, each with a unique vision that represents the multifaceted ecosystem that fashion is becoming every day.

“The work of Susan Fang expressed a fully developed and clear point of view. Her designs were original, and the use of mixed textiles proved an advanced technical skillset beyond her years. Fang understands her identity and how that spans between consumer and brand vision, which will help sustain her for years to come,” he added.

Shanghai-based Pei-Nap Mok has been chosen as the PGI Jewellery winner, while Fabric Porn by Chenxi Zhao and Dovetail received special mention by the retailer.

Li from Private Policy said the brand appreciates the recognition from Lane Crawford and the judges. The brand will continue its commitment to environmental sustainability and to reflect international youth culture.

Found in 2015 in New York, the brand has been showing in Shanghai, London and New York, and was nominated as the first Chinese finalist of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund last year.

“These two things have always been at the core of our brand’s focus and we hope to use our influence to inspire more people to think and talk about things. It is our hope that the presence of Private Policy will promote international cultural exchange and allow people to understand each other better. Youth is the future,” he said.

Fang said through this award, she will be able to reach deeper into the handcraft projects with Yi minority mothers as well as her handmaking studio. Launched in 2017 following her graduation from Central Saint Martins, Fang was shortlisted for the LVMH Prize in 2019. She has also been named “Forbes 30 Under 30” in both 2019 and 2020.

“I hope that through Lane Crawford, a wider local audience will know us more deeply. I am extremely excited to be launching new projects and exhibitions with Lane Crawford,” she added.

Collections from both brands are expected to launch at all Lane Crawford stores by summer 2021.

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